


Of Serpents and Witchcraft

by shinkai_shoujo



Category: Original Fiction - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Dragons, Elves, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fantasy mystery, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Mystical Creatures, Nekomata, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 13:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16975815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinkai_shoujo/pseuds/shinkai_shoujo
Summary: A murderer on the loose.Blood spilling blood as families turn on each other.A royal guard grossly uninterested in catching the culprit.And a forgotten princess who is powerless to save her kingdom, but desperately wants to do what is right.This is the mess that has become the daily life of Jenenne Moreau, a peasant girl living on the outskirts of Vallia on her family's farmland. For years now, someone has been murdering the citizens of her kingdom at random, regardless of their wealth or status. No one knows who's behind it all, and most have given up hope of ever catching the bastard behind it all. But Jenenne is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family and the rest of the innocent people in Vallia. She makes the decision to run away from home, disguising herself as a male in order to become a knight and track down the psychopath herself.But as she claws her way up the rankings, she is drawn closer and closer to a certain young lady in the King's innermost circle, and begins to learn that not everything around her is what it seems. In the end, she must make a choice- to save the lives of the innocent... or follow her heart, and protect the ones she loves.





	Of Serpents and Witchcraft

Ending a life was never an easy task. 

It could be hard, for one thing. If that person was one they loved, one they trusted, or even just a stranger who'd been kind to them in passing on the streets, it could be difficult to erase the emotional impact they had on another from their mind. Memories they had made together, whether they were good or bad, would undoubtably haunt the mind of any sane person who took another human being’s life. And, of course, there were physical repercussions as well— to murder another for any reason other than warfare or self defense was a hanging offense in the kingdom of Vallia. It was commonly understood that to take another’s life, you forfeit your own, lest you spend the rest of your life as a fugitive from the crown. 

There were a few criminals who had gotten away with such an act. Murdering a husband as revenge for abuse, stabbing a friend for cheating someone out of their money, then somehow managing to clean up all the evidence and leave the court at a loss as to whom they should punish. In most cases, they would decide to frame some poor passerby who had borne witness to the attack (or, at least, been in that general area when the crime had taken place) and publicly execute them to put the minds of their people at ease; after all, no one wants a murderer to be wandering amongst their homes. Panic and riots would ensure, riots the crown had no time to put an end to. So the royal court settled for the easier option; pick a bystander and execute the poor soul. 

This time, however, a simple framing would not work. 

Why? 

Because thirty-eight people were dead. And that was not something the king's court could simply brush under the rug. 

The pebbles that lined the village road crunched under the weight of footsteps pressing down on them. The hooded figure striding down the path was making no effort to walk silently, despite the fact that being noticed would surely make the villagers suspicous of their prescence. The only part of their face that was visible under their hood was a contemptuous, twisted grin. It didn't matter if anyone saw them; there was nothing anyone could do to stop them. 

The figure pulled to a halt in front of one of the nicer houses, a wooden building on a raised platform with a balcony winding around the outside that led into stairs to access the front door. The roof was covered in different kinds of hanging plants and ivy, grown in such a way that it was clear the owners of the house had meant for them to be there. It was really quite pretty, the figure reflected, cocking their head to the side as they peered at the dwelling. 

Too bad it wouldn't be around for much longer. 

With a flick of their wrist, a ball of flame appeared in the figure's hand, burning through the sleeves of their baggy clothing and casting a sinister orange light through the dark, overcast night. Grinning like a madman, the figure aimed their palm at the building and released a jet of fire from their hand, catching one of the wooden legs that held the house up in the blast. It instantly lit up, flames hungrily licking up the dry wood and spreading to the rest of the structure within a matter of seconds. Screams erupted from inside the house as the residents began to realize what was going on; a moment later, there was the sound of glass breaking as someone smashed one of the house's windows in an attempt to escape the blaze. Two people leapt out of the house-- a young man and a young woman, the latter of which was cradling a tawny kitten in her arms. They didn't see the figure standing outside in their haste to get away from the flames, heading right towards them as they hurtled blindly through the night. Away from one death and right into another. 

The figure leapt onto the man as he ran past, tackling them to the ground with practiced ease. He let out a shriek that turned into a soft gurgle as the figure raised a hand and slashed it across his throat, the motion so violent and forceful it nearly ripped his head off. 

The woman stopped in her tracks, whirling around to see what had caused her companion to fall behind. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the figure crouching over the man, letting out an ear-piercing shriek of her own, but the figure took no notice. They had only needed one victim to satisfy their need today... unless, of course, the woman decided to avenge her fallen companion. 

She did not. She knew what she was witnessing. 

She turned around and ran, still hugging the cat to her chest, screaming and sobbing like a small child as the figure began to feast on the corpse of the man.


End file.
